Committee advances plan for 5,700‑unit development; developer pledges 2,048 workforce home‑ownership units

The Appropriations Committee approved item 3A, a major private development plan presented by a representative of the Swirlo Group that would deliver approximately 5,700 housing units, the sponsor said. Jose Felix Diaz, appearing for the Swirlo Group, told the committee the project’s plan would include 2,048 ‘‘heavily subsidized workforce condo units’’ intended for home ownership at incomes up to 140% of the area median income (AMI).

Diaz said the parties would work with county staff and federal partners ‘‘to make sure that … we get titled to it the way we need it in order for those home ownership units to be developed,’’ and he described home ownership as a stated goal of the project.

Committee members also noted the developer’s voluntary safety standards for construction staff: the firm adopted its own heat‑safety policies for workers on the project, a step several commissioners praised as going ‘‘above and beyond’’ after a prior county heat‑safety ordinance did not pass.

The committee approved the item by voice vote during the session and members offered congratulatory remarks to the developer and staff.

Ending: Sponsors highlighted the project’s large number of affordable and workforce units and the developer’s voluntary worker protections. The committee recorded the item as carried and advanced the development proposal.